Out of the millions of potential careers in the world, you’ve decided you want to pick one of the most rewarding yet challenging professions and become a doctor. Not only is this extremely altruistic, it’s also lucrative, and there will never be a shortage of physicians.
But the role of a doctor isn’t for everyone. There is a significant amount of education, pressure, and responsibility that goes into helping others survive. It’s not something to jump into lightly.
Before you make that leap and enroll in medical school, take a little time and dig deep into your psyche and the career. Ask yourself these three questions, get real with your answers, and ensure the life of a physician is something that you can commit to.
Table of Contents
1. Are You Prepared to Work Your Next Decade (or More) Away?
You already know on the surface that it takes a lot of school to graduate with your medical degree. Doctors have to finish an undergraduate program, which is four years, plus another four years in medical school.
But on top of those eight years, you’ll spend another three to seven years learning your specialty of choice in a residency program. So, for those in more advanced fields, like anesthesiologists, you may be in school for 15 years before you can strike out on your own and make a return on your investment.
Med school isn’t cheap, either. Each of those years will be spent accumulating student loans or paying for your education out of your pocket. And while the rest of your friends are moving on with their lives, graduating, getting married, and having children, you’ll be putting in 20-hour days trying to juggle school and residency.
The good news is that once you finish school and get any debt paid off, you’ll likely have an excellent annual salary. However, if spending over a decade of your life in debt and in school doesn’t sound like fun to you, you might want to look at other options.
You can still pursue a lucrative career in healthcare without becoming a doctor. For instance, this article by Physicians Thrive describes the differences between an anesthesiologist and a CRNA. There aren’t too many things a CRNA can’t do that an anesthesiologist can, and you can make a good living without all the extra debt.
2. How is Your Emotional Health and Stability?
Doctors don’t technically have to have good bedside manners and emotional intelligence, but think about it. You’re dealing with the extreme highs and lows of other people’s lives. When you give them the news that they only have a few weeks to live, wouldn’t it be better for it to come from someone who has some empathy?
On the other hand, you can’t take your patient’s problems home with you, or it will eat your emotions alive. You have to know how to establish professional boundaries as you watch people at their lowest points, those who have gone through traumatic events, and even the happiest moments.
Remember, the damage you’ll be observing isn’t just physical. Sometimes, the emotional aspects of trauma, illness, and injuries are harder than anything else, and all your medical schooling can’t fix a broken heart.
Unless your mental health is stable or you’re actively working towards that goal, being a physician will be an additional strain on your emotions and relationships.
3. Is There Another Career That Lights Your Fire?
Why do you want to be a doctor? Is it because someone you respect is one, and you’d like to follow in their footsteps? Are you on the career path because it’s expected of you? Do you want to genuinely help people?
Whatever the reason is, if you’re not in the field of medicine because you’re passionate about it, you’ll likely face burnout sooner rather than later.
Doctors work long hours while they make countless in-the-moment decisions that can affect the health and lives of others. It’s a lot of pressure, and one wrong move could get you sued.
If your goal is to help others, there are many other careers that could be fulfilling. Where is your passion? Will you feel resentful of the demands of medicine because you’d rather be doing something else?
Soul-searching before you put your time and money into med school is wise. You may have to deal with hard conversations if you change your mind, but it’s better to handle them now than down the road.
Conclusion
The idea of becoming a doctor and the practicality of actually going to medical school for 10-15 years are two different things. These three questions will help you decide whether the reality of this career is for you before you invest in the steps to get there.